InfoSec Rockstars, Stunt Hacking, and the Spirit (Ed Skoudis)

The next (April) HackFormers meeting will be held on March 31st, 2016 at the BSides Austin 2016 event/location. It is free and open to all HackFormers and BSides attendees. PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE POST BEFORE REGISTERING.

Speaker: Ed Skoudis (@edskoudis)Date: March 31, 2016 (Thursday)Meeting Time: 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm.
Venue: BSides Austin 2016 location. Wingate By Wyndham Round Rock Hotel.Address:1209 Interstate 35 Frontage Rd, Round Rock, TX 78684Note. This is not the usual Microsoft Location and the event is on a Thursday. This meeting in lieu of the April meeting and we are holding it in March due to the availability of the speaker.

— SPECIAL NOTE —The BSides Austin 2016 event is sold out, but you can still attend this HackFormers event at the BSides Austin event location. We are extremely grateful for allowing HackFormers to meet at their venue, so that the information security in Austin and nearby locations can benefit.

If you have already registered for BSides, then lunch is provided at part of your registration.Students and Military with valid ID can attend for free.Link to register for BSides Austin 2016:

Pizzas and drinks will be available in limited quantities for HackFormers attendees.Link to register for HackFormers event only:

Abstract:In the Teach Security part of this talk, Ed will talk about the rising phenomenon of InfoSec Rockstars and Stunt Hacking — what do they mean, when did they first start in the hacking community, and where is it all heading? He will then provide some tips on dealing with InfoSec rockstars in your midst and how Austin is full of them, followed with some practical advice on how to manage your own career as it heads toward Rockstar status — especially the importance of grace and humility, and the destructive force of pride.

Then, in the Teach Christ and Security in Christ, Ed will transition to the ultimate REAL rockstar: Jesus, and share how he modeled the grace and humility we are called to, even though he was the biggest and best of all.

Speaker Bio:

Ed Skoudis is the founder of Counter Hack, an innovative organization that designs, builds, and operates popular infosec challenges and simulations including CyberCity, NetWars, Cyber Quests, and Cyber Aces OnLine. Ed and his team also perform in-depth penetration tests that involve the intersection of cutting-edge wireless, web app, and network technologies. As director of the CyberCity project, Ed oversees the development of missions which help train cyber warriors in how to defend the kinetic assets of a physical, miniaturized city. Ed authored and regularly teaches the SANS courses on network penetration testing (Security 560) and incident response (Security 504), helping over three thousand information security professionals each year improve their skills and abilities to defend their networks. He has performed numerous security assessments; conducted exhaustive anti-virus, anti-spyware, Virtual Machine, and IPS research; and responded to computer attacks for clients in government, military, financial, high technology, healthcare, and other industries. Previously, Ed served as a security consultant with InGuardians, International Network Services (INS), Global Integrity, Predictive Systems, SAIC, and Bell Communications Research (Bellcore). Ed also blogs about command line tips and penetration testing.